Four Nigerian entrepreneurs, Shalom Bako Dangombe, Tony Bello, Kenneth Obiazulu and Timmy Oke are taking Nigeria’s agricultural products globally with export from the country to the international market.
According biz.crast.net, these are exporting agri-products ranging from hibiscus flowers, shea butter, Cassava, and ginger.
1. Supplying the US Market with Nigerian Superfoods
Shalom Bako Dangombe, founder and managing director of Afrivana, a company that imports Nigerian goods such as hibiscus flowers and shea butter to the US, began his entrepreneurial journey when he saw a business opportunity between the US and Nigeria. After initially attempting to distribute American fashion apparel in Nigeria, which ended in failure, he turned his attention to exporting Nigerian goods to America.
In his search for the ideal item, he noticed the popularity of hibiscus tea in America, which led to a childhood memory of selling the drink in Nigeria. After facing several rejections while trying to find a buyer, Bako traveled to Mexico to make industry connections. Eventually, a company recognized his persistence and agreed to a trial container. To secure supplies, Bako partnered with smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
2. Nigerian Cassava: The Next Big Thing in the US Food Market?
Shine Bridge Global, a US-based food science and agribusiness company, was founded in 2018 by Dr. Tony Bello, a native of Nigeria. The company specializes in the manufacture of products from cassava in Nigeria.
In recent years, Shine Bridge Global has been focusing on converting high quality cassava flour into instant tapioca flakes. Sago is derived from the cassava root and the resulting flakes have applications similar to those of potato flakes, according to Bello. Potato flakes are used as a food ingredient in the production of various commercially available items, such as pasta and snacks, and also serve as a thickener in gravies and desserts. The company is in the process of introducing some other cassava-derived food products such as crackers, pizza crusts, ready-mix fufu, fried snacks and flatbreads – all using its tapioca flakes.
Shine Bridge Global has set its sights on launching both tapioca flakes and end-consumer packaged goods in the US and UK for a trial phase in the coming months. Thereafter, it plans to gradually increase production, selling to consumer-packaged goods companies and marketers. read full article
3. Unlocking Nigeria’s Ginger Export Potential
Kenneth Obiazulu co-founded Agricorp International, a company that processes and exports Nigerian ginger. His experience in the field, including consulting for the World Bank, helped him recognize untapped potential, particularly for ginger, a major crop in many Nigerian states. Despite Nigeria being responsible for 16% of the world’s ginger production, export revenues were remarkably low due to systemic inefficiencies and unregulated trade channels.
With the goal of rectifying these inefficiencies, Agricorp International was created, focusing on drying ginger over long periods of time and providing support and training to smallholder farmers to increase their yield. The company sources ginger from over 5,000 smallholder farmers and processes it at a plant in Kaduna. The focus is now 90% on exports, mainly to South Africa, India, Morocco and Dubai. read full article
4. Nigerian businessman grows agribusiness after securing first client via LinkedIn
Timmy Oke started his entrepreneurial journey in 2012, when he was working in a bank in the UK. His interest in agriculture and trade led him to explore potential agricultural products for trade. After chatting on LinkedIn groups and attending trade fairs on the advice of an import-export trader, Oke got her first client, an importer from Mexico who requested five containers of dried hibiscus flowers.
Oke took a break from his career and founded AgroEconor along with his brother and a friend. The initial order was met by crowdfunding and personal funding by procuring hibiscus flowers from small-scale farmers in the northern states of Nigeria.
This early success prompted Oke to quit his banking job and relocate to Nigeria to focus on the export business. The company started small with 60 tonnes of hibiscus in the first year, doubled in the second year and reached 540 tonnes in the third year. Early customers were mainly from Mexico, Latvia, Germany and Belgium. Over time, Oke and his team obtained the necessary certifications to export to the European Union and expanded into the US market.
